The Road Ahead
by middiegurl08
Summary: What happens when Robin and Patrick take a road trip together and he tells her how he feels? He is willing to give their relationship a try and she is the one holding them back. What will she decide? Will she follow her heart or walk away?


A/N: I thought of this idea the other day while I was in the car for twelve hours… "Just imagine the fun!" She says in a sarcastic tone. But seriously, the whole way there and back, I couldn't stop thinking about this so here I am writing it… so I hope you enjoy it and remember feedback is always welcome!

Disclaimer: I don't do one of these things enough… just let it be known that I don't own anything associated with ABC or General Hospital. Not even sure I would want to. I don't think I would want to be associated with this show well except for Scrubs… but anyway… that's another story for another time!

Ready?

Set?

Go!

--

**The Road Ahead part 1/3**

How had she managed this little mishap? What had she ever done where she deserved this kind of torture? She must have been extremely ill with a dangerously high fever when she agreed to such a thing as this. Or maybe she had had a wild night and drank a bit too much… of course, she didn't remember. Who in their right mind would EVER agree to this kind of persecution? Who DESERVED this kind of treatment?

"So who do you want to listen to…Linkin Park or Mudvayne?" His deep voice wrecked her thoughts. She glared at him icily and rolled her eyes.

Twelve hours in a car with Patrick Drake. Now THAT was a great idea! Sure, things had been pretty smooth between the two of them recently with their "friends with benefits" thing they had going on. But that didn't mean she wanted to be in a car with the man for twelve hours. There were still quite a few things that annoyed her about him.

They were traveling to possibly help an elderly woman with severe memory loss. "Doesn't that sound familiar?" Robin said to herself. She sighed deeply. She didn't even remember how exactly this whole trip had come about... Of course she remembered Alan mentioning it but somehow things had gone from a short airplane ride, with other people around to Patrick's Mercedes with only the two of them.

"Is this how the whole trip is going to be? You're going to give me the cold shoulder the entire time?" He wasn't even sure why she was suddenly so angry. Things between them had been really good recently. He felt that they were finally starting to understand each other.

"I agreed to this trip so I can help our patient, Patrick. This isn't a vacation and I'm not going to treat it like one." She stated firmly. She knew that she was being rude and cold but this wasn't exactly her idea of fun. The truth was, they had been spending a lot of time together and she knew that her feelings for him were starting to grow. Now she had to spend twelve hours in the car with him and try to keep those feelings at bay and she wasn't so sure she could do it.

Patrick stared at her defeated, eventually he would learn what was really going on between the two of them. Eventually, he would learn the ways of Robin Scorpio, and it didn't matter how hard she tried to fight it.

"_Peel me from the skin. Tear me from the rind. Does it make you happy now?"_ The words blasted from the stereo speakers, as Patrick turned up the volume before he said something to Robin that he would really regret…

--

Two hours. Thirty-three minutes. Fifty- eight seconds fifty- nine. Thirty-four minutes.

"Do you have to play that crap so loud?" Robin questioned referring to his loud head banger music that he insisted on listening to.

"What?" He yelled and pointed to his ear indicating that he couldn't understand what she had said.

They had barely said a word to each other since they pulled onto the interstate. Neither wanted to be stuck in this car for twelve hours with the other and knowing that they had no choice in the matter… only made them all that much more bitter.

"I asked…" She said once again, but this time turned the stereo down as she spoke, "does it have to be that loud? I have a pounding headache."

"There's some aspirin in my bag in the back…" He stated before he once again blasted the radio.

"You are so rude and inconsiderate…" she began rambling and turned the radio down once more and glared at him; daring him to touch the volume again.

"This is my car!"

She continued glaring icily at him. "You think I wanted to be stuck in a car with you for twelve hours? No I didn't! Could you at least try to be someone else other than you for a minute?"

"What exactly has gotten into you?" He finally asked. "I thought things had changed between us? I thought we were past the being annoyed at every little thing and name-calling stage of our relationship?" She didn't give him any response. He was tired of this never-ending game that they both seemed to play and he wanted answers. "What is so wrong with me, Robin? Seriously? I mean, I know I don't carry a gun around and have a leather jacket permanently attached to my body and I don't exactly have the blank stare down either, but is that such a bad thing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not Morgan, Robin! I never have been and I never will be!" Patrick said angrily.

"What does Jason have to do with any of this? I never said you were Jason or that you had to be him…"

"But that's what you want right? You want me to be that cold and distant so that you can push me away, act like you aren't feeling anything for me, right? Because he hurt you and you want to be able to see that every time you look at me, giving you a reason to not be with me…" He looked out at their surroundings. "We entered into this 'agreement' with clear heads and I know we agreed to have no strings, but this has turned out to be harder than either one of us thought it would be. And we both know that our feelings have changed."

"I don't know what you are talking about…" Robin said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest and staring out the window.

"How can you keep denying what you are feeling?" He refused to make eye contact.

"Easy. I'm not feeling anything. I came up with the rules, remember?"

"That's bull Robin and you know it! And this isn't just my ego speaking either." He looked over at her, withdrawing into herself not allowing him in. "We have been through a lot with the virus and my father's liver operation and the law suit. You can't tell me that none of that mattered. So why are you pulling away all of a sudden?"

She knew he was right and he was telling the truth. They really had grown closer with the terror of that disease. They had lost three people and no one would ever be the same again. And yes, they had grown close during everything that happened with Noah. She had seen a whole new side of Patrick Drake but the disease had long been over and things with his father were "okay" for now so it was time for things to go back to normal. And that included their relationship. She had wanted him so bad and her feelings for him had gotten in the way and she thought of this ridiculous idea for no strings sex, but she saw the stupidity of her decision now and she wanted out. "The virus is over. I'm not sick anymore and you and Noah are fine now…"

"Don't do this Robin. Don't hide in your shell. Let me in…" He practically pleaded. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

"You say that now but how do I know you are telling the truth?" She refused to meet his eyes. "Jason said the same thing and look at me now! Are you really willing to give up your life as a single man?" He gave her no answer and she wiped at her tears. "I have shut myself off for years and you are really getting to me. I'm scared of letting someone new in and admitting my feelings. What if you do hurt me?" She finally looked at him. "What if I open myself up to my feelings and you get in a car accident and are killed? I lost Stone forever… I can't go through that kind of pain again. I just can't."

"What if you don't open up to your feelings and I still die tomorrow? You will regret it for the rest of your life." He stated firmly. "I know you have been hurt in the past and I know you are scared… and I can't promise that I won't ever hurt you or that things with be perfect…" He paused, contemplating what to say next. "I'm scared too, Robin. I have never felt this way for anyone. I swore to myself that I would never let myself feel this way. I'm scared that you will see that you are too good for me… and you are. You deserve so much better than me…"

They both sat silently debating what to say next.

"So where does this leave us?" Robin finally asked.

"I guess that's up to you. I'm willing to give this-us- a try, but you have to realize that this is going to be a long road and a learning experience for me…" He sighed heavily. "This has been more than sex to me for quite awhile now, I just never knew how to tell you and I certainly hadn't planned on telling you how I feel on a reluctant road trip. I just can't handle going backward in our relationship when we have grown so much. I used to be able to handle your insults and hand out a few of my own, but I can't do that anymore. We've come too far."

"What if you want more than I am willing to give you?"

"Then I walk away. This will all be over and I'll go back to Manhattan." He stated simply.

"Manhattan? Why would you leave? Things are finally good between you and your father…"

"I got a phone call one day last week. My position up there still hasn't been filled and if I am willing to go back, I still have a job up there." He explained. "I got the call and the first thing I thought of was you and that I had to talk to you. I had to let you know how I felt. So here I am. My feelings are out in the open and it's up to you to take the plunge. If you are willing to let go of your past and everything that you lost with Jason and Stone, then here I am. But I'm not going to wait forever."


End file.
